This is a hybrid I want!
- Thread starter p m
- Start date
Yes it should be just what you need on the 5, 405 of 210 during rush hour, imagine cruising along at .005 MPH in the diamond lane! I wonder if it can handle it?
All these grand headlines about the latest & greatest electric concept cars such as Fisker, Tesla, Chevy Volt, and now this Jag.
"an innovative test-bed for the technologies of tomorrow"
How about someone just make a fuckin electric car that is actually practical and affordable? Maybe something that can go more than a couple miles in electric mode? Maybe something that can carry a couple kids and groceries? Maybe something that doesn't look like an orthopedic shoe? Maybe something that doesn't cost $100K and have a 5 year waiting period?
"an innovative test-bed for the technologies of tomorrow"
How about someone just make a fuckin electric car that is actually practical and affordable? Maybe something that can go more than a couple miles in electric mode? Maybe something that can carry a couple kids and groceries? Maybe something that doesn't look like an orthopedic shoe? Maybe something that doesn't cost $100K and have a 5 year waiting period?
The tesla has great numbers too, till it was on top gear and ran out of juice before they were even done filming. Then it's 8+ hours before you can play again.
If you guys are old enough to recall, or can think it through, the combination of a gas turbine with electric drive may be just what a hybrid needs to be.
The main, #1 by far and large, drawback of a gas turbine is incredible inertia built up when the rotor is spun up. It means a gas turbine can hardly be used in dynamic environment when one needs to speed up or slow down quickly.
The #2 drawback was the turbine rotor rate of rotation - which required one hell of a gearbox to slow it down to the wheels' speed.
The #3 was the result of #1 - having to run a turbine across the range of rpm meant running it mostly in non-optimal thermodynamical regime -> huge fuel consumption.
Having an electric drive means that you can completely decouple the turbine from the propulsion; so one can use a smaller turbine ran "as needed," at the most-efficient speed, only coupled to a generator to top off the batteries.
For the same reason, electric drive is a fantastic complement to a turbodiesel.
The main, #1 by far and large, drawback of a gas turbine is incredible inertia built up when the rotor is spun up. It means a gas turbine can hardly be used in dynamic environment when one needs to speed up or slow down quickly.
The #2 drawback was the turbine rotor rate of rotation - which required one hell of a gearbox to slow it down to the wheels' speed.
The #3 was the result of #1 - having to run a turbine across the range of rpm meant running it mostly in non-optimal thermodynamical regime -> huge fuel consumption.
Having an electric drive means that you can completely decouple the turbine from the propulsion; so one can use a smaller turbine ran "as needed," at the most-efficient speed, only coupled to a generator to top off the batteries.
For the same reason, electric drive is a fantastic complement to a turbodiesel.
Tugela said:
I believe you are correct. Just checked out the Leaf's rather cluttered website. Looks like it can reliably get you 60-70 miles in real-world conditions. That's practical. It's also affordable in the mid-$20's. Also looks like an orthopedic shoe but I guess beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Would be great to test drive one of these things.
KyleT said:
the Chrysler turbines (which I assume you're referencing) had a turbine driving the wheels through a transmission attached to the PTO. Every time you accelerated you were feeding gas to the turbine. They are terribly inefficient when driven like that. The Jag has electric motors and batteries which are charged by a turbine/generator combo. The computer can keep the turbine at a constant RPM where fuel consumption is best. This is where hybrids should be at: diesel-electric or turbine-electric with a small array of batteries to provide amperage for a standing start or hills. To reduce weight, they could even go with one smaller motor and a cvt to generate greater torque and still have high speeds.
Screw all this hybrid talk, just get one of these and go anywhere...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M23co6Qz-cY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M23co6Qz-cY
I still don't understand why most of the hybrids in production are gas/electric instead of diesel/electric. Can't they make a small version of the combo that modern trains use?
LRflip said:
Yes and my point is they should start again.
D-90's and 110's would be welcome, too.